Heather Kay

Western Thunderer
B923E98D-B679-4BA0-AC64-7E565332AD80.jpeg

Dirty brownish blacky grot mixed, bogies ready for getting covered in it.

ACCEC85F-77BC-4AE3-BC68-5576A56CFB6A.jpeg

Some, rather messy, time later, the outside visible bits have had a coat. I’ll let them dry for a good while, then set about the inside invisible bits.

Now for some fresh air to blow the fumes further away. Extractors only do so much with the smellier solvents.
 

Heather Kay

Western Thunderer
Always something of interest and quality modelling on this thread. Thanks for posting.

Superb! Definately a step up...

Thanks gents!

There will be a slight holdup in bogie painting as I have had to order in fresh paint supplies. It might be a while before Precision can sort it out. I just spoke to one of the nice proprietors on the phone, as I’d stupidly forgotten to add varnish to my order online yesterday, and he said they’ve been pretty much working flat out since Covid hit and are only just getting on top of things.
 

Heather Kay

Western Thunderer
47146465-DE01-4463-B304-B67980150B11.jpeg

Crikey! Excellent service from the chaps in Essex!

I only ordered online Monday afternoon, remembered I’d forgotten to add varnish to the order and called Tuesday to correct my faux pas. The package was shipped yesterday, and not expected until Saturday.
 

warren haywood

Western Thunderer
Hi Heather,
I always struggled with Precision dull black, it needed a really good stir and even then the finish was inconsistent with areas having un diluted matting agent causing little rings.
I have found Revell semi Matt black SM302 is a fantastic paint. It is so smooth and consistent.
Maybe worth a try
 

Heather Kay

Western Thunderer
Cheers Warren.

I’ve had fairly consistent results with the Precision matt black. It dries dead flat, unlike some other brands. As you say, it needs a jolly good stir to get it mixed thoroughly, but once I’ve done that it usually doesn’t need much more to keep it mixed. I found it sprayed on nice and flat (mixed 50:50 with Humbrol 29 dark earth and thinned with PP's PQ9 airbrush thinners). The varnish is there to help prevent rubbing or chipping and to flatten off everything for later select weathering.
 
Modifying the coach ends

Heather Kay

Western Thunderer
Cheers John!

Things have been plodding forward. That Life thing has rather got in the way a bit, but progress has been made on finalising underframe details (cast footboard brackets) and the end details. Today's post is about the latter.

A02977CA-AC88-4B3A-946E-2D80FECE8426.jpeg

Right at the start of this thread, I think I mentioned the end detailing as moulded by Slater's was a bit two-dimensional. It’s a sort of Slater's trademark, but it does rather let the side (or end) down when you consider the lovely cast end steps that surround them. I hope you can make out my scribble to show the basic dimension for remaking various holes after carving off the passenger communication gear and the lighting connectors. There is a minor dim I’ve missed, but I’ll cover it when I come to it later. I drill right through the end for the CPL parts as they have long pegs, but just drill little dimples for the CRT parts.

EA503448-BC76-474F-B683-517619FB599D.jpeg

Here are the replacement parts. CPL's exquisite and delicate cast GWR passcomm bits. It’s set 1c Brake Telltales, which I have found is the closest match to the equipment fitted to BR Mk1 coaches, and suits these Southern designs quite well with some careful adjustment. To be correct, the little butterflies at the ends are the wrong way round for Mk1s, but nobody will notice. The lighting connectors are rather lumpy but quite adequate brass jobs from CRT Kits. They’re a gazillion times better than the weedy flat things originally moulded by the Big S.

EABC2E5C-B6E5-4012-9CBE-C2B9F470118A.jpeg

Having carefully excised the CPL bits from their sprue, and cleaned out the holes with a 0.55mm bit - a half mill would do, but I find the extra 0.05mm helps a bit with fitting - the first job is to modify the valve box and down pipe.

01C45D54-3648-448E-823D-2B1B11E94143.jpeg

The down pipe is very thin and easily broken, but with care and taking things very slowly, it is quite possible to adjust it to take on the correct bends. You can see how it runs down close to the strip outboard of the gangway. It also is too long, but that can be easily dealt with by application of cutters.

44157F6F-A1FF-4D67-9D42-B16DFB93D689.jpeg

With the box and down pipe glued in place, I’ve positioned the other parts so you can see how they fit on an end they were never designed for. The saving grace for us is the Pullman gangway these coaches were fitted with. The top rod carrying the turning motion to the opposite side runs through the top of the gangway, and is lost to view. This is the same on Mk1s. The short butterfly rod on the left needs to be shortened further, as does the one on the right. Let’s step through methodically.

AD85F5C6-4C06-4C16-A9F8-5AA487AB71A5.jpeg

Here you can see the left butterfly rod has been shortened, and the casting glued in place. The mechanism to pass the turning movement has also been trimmed and carefully adjusted to fit. The top rod has been trimmed back to the angled strip, for reasons explained earlier. The dimension I missed in my sketch is the location for the upper rod bracket from the angled strip: it’s 3mm, both sides.

4164379B-3BD7-40C1-88CC-7937C60CA6AE.jpeg

The right butterfly rod is tried for size. You can see the lovely cast bracket has to go, which is a shame but it’s all in a good cause. Once happy with the length, the rod is glued in place. Note the rod has to stand away from the coach end by almost a millimetre along its length. This is so it slots into the down rod that goes on next.

E0D5D7F9-229A-48D4-8742-83A376CE1071.jpeg

Now the right side mechanism is trimmed and fitted. There. That didn’t take long, did it!

A11BE937-917F-49EA-A2CC-178EAB805FC8.jpeg

And here we are with the lighting connectors and the cast steps and bits fitted. For the period these models are intended to represent, the toilet fillers formed pipes down to track level, à la Mk1s. When these modifications were made, the long step that sat across top of the gangway was removed. This is why I haven’t fitted the etched brackets that Slater's do provide. My cursory survey of photos shows that most of the other steps remained, so I’ve fitted them. I believe some were removed during overhauls, but I couldn’t find an example to follow. Besides, I like the steps. It’s all part of the overall fussiness on coach ends, and one of the things I like most about building rolling stock.

That fussiness, or busyness as Dickens might have said, also extends to the underframe. I like underframes. I like all the bits and bobs that go to making up an underframe. I found another detail I hadn’t spotted before, and I’m going to make them up and talk about them in the next post.
 
Final underframe business

Heather Kay

Western Thunderer
Remember those thin bits of scrap etch from the bogie kits I said might be useful?

C1C727D3-F1B3-404C-8892-25BA9A5A2961.jpeg

These?

87F96705-C8EE-4181-9B5D-4D56319D3715.jpeg

Take two 50mm lengths, one 48mm and one 40mm, and you can make brake rod safety loops.

Stepping back a little, I was peering at photos to work out how and where a pipe, which Slater's supply as bent plastic rod, is supposed to run down the back of one of the footboards. There’s no hint about where it comes from, goes to, or whether it was steam heating or vacuum braking. Anyway, I couldn't, and still can’t, see any evidence of such pipework outside the underframe solebars, so I’m going to leave it off the models - unless you know better, of course. Be that as it may, while peering at the photos, I noticed the brake safety loops arrayed about the underframe.

Need I say more? I like busy underframes.

5A754B55-A4BC-4A70-80EB-4AF2FCB3E449.jpeg

20DABD35-8B52-47CA-ADA1-B780EE419AB2.jpeg

I worked out there were four I could be certain of. One each end, aligned roughly with the centre of each reservoir tank, to catch the weight shaft end of the brake rod should it come adrift. There’s already a loop on the bogie, if you remember. I could also just make out another pair, slightly different lengths, to catch the centre rod that joins the two ends of the gear together, the one that runs behind the battery boxes. I can assume there are smaller loops to catch the brake van handbrake linkage, too, but I’m not too bothered by those - yet!

I will add a simulated dynamo belt before things get painted. I haven’t found evidence of a dynamo safety chain like those on Mk1s, so that will be left off. Anyway, off to fit the remaining underframes.
 

Heather Kay

Western Thunderer
As I was fitting the brass cast footboard brackets to the final underframe, I became aware the blessed thing had sagged. I have no idea when this occurred, because like the other three it was built on a flat surface from the start.

Anyway, sagged it had. The sag started to become more apparent as the body sides and ends were fitted. Could I live with it? About a millimetre of the centre of the floor sections showed below the sides. Potentially, it could be hidden when the footboards are fitted. I could, possibly, sand away the errant area. Or I could do something more drastic.

20B7D04A-4965-4BDE-8A60-20A55E7F6F0C.jpeg

Drastic it is, then. The hope is the MEK solvent will hold the joint long enough that I can add reinforcing styrene strips along the bottom inside the body shell. We shall see.

An interesting conundrum occurred fitting the corridor side, by the way. It was too short. By about half a millimetre. I think this kit is cursed! One of those small errors that just combine into a much larger error later on situations. To fix this, I ended up splitting the side into its halves again, and gluing them separately to the floor - yes, still with the sag. The gap at the central joint was filled with suitable styrene stock, and then carved and sanded to profile. I am still to attempt the sag reduction on that side, but I’m pretty sure it’s nowhere near enough to cause the shortage.

I post this just so you can see it’s not always sweetness and light at the workbench.
 

Heather Kay

Western Thunderer
75ECF7B8-D72D-49AD-8BCF-40C02337E1AF.jpeg

This might just work. There is some minor distortion of the top edge of the compartment side, but as I intend to fit bracing strut work in association with the roof fitting this isn’t worrying me.
 

LarryG

Western Thunderer
Sorry to read of the on-going problems. Coaches played a biggish roll in my earnings for five decades, and I found 7mm scale coaches didn't even come close to being a commercial proposition.
 

Heather Kay

Western Thunderer
didn't even come close to being a commercial proposition.

I know what you mean, but it is a situation I’ve accepted.

I am currently in the lucky position that most of the household finances are covered by Best Beloved's income. What I make building models is a tiny part, and I accept I’m never going to be rich! There is a limit to what people are happy to pay for a model to be built, sadly. That said, my rates have increased markedly over the years.

Quite what happens in the future regarding finance remains to be seen.
 

Terry Howlett

Active Member
Well you seem to be getting well on top of these Maunsells Heather. Most impressed indeed, but then how could I not be, having observed much of your work in that "other place" we both frequent!
 

3 LINK

Western Thunderer
Hi Heather,
Regarding the mystery pipe that runs along the back of those brass brackets. These are a steam or vacuum pipe? And they seemed to adorn a lot of the Southerns coaching stock and it ran along the sole bars rather than be fixed underneath . I have just finished a Slaters 28 ton bogie van B, and this bogie luggage van also has the same pipe run, they fit on top of the brass brackets and are tight to the sole bars, at each end they slope downwards before disappearing at right angles underneath the buffer beams. I discarded the plastic pipe supplied and used a length of brass 1.5 wire in its place, much more manageable.

If you would like a photo or two for further clarification let me know.

Regards,

Martyn.
 
Top